29 Jan What Is A “Student Athlete” & Could I Be One?

You may hear the term ‘student athlete’ thrown around when it comes to discussing USA Colleges and scholarships. Essentially – students who accepted into a US College to study and also represent a sporting team are known as a ‘student athletes’.

Being the most diverse University system in the world, US Colleges are focusing their energies increasingly on international ‘student athletes’. And one of the most exciting way colleges are doing so is by recruiting international student athletes, which is great news for young sporting Australians!

USA Sports Scholarships allow Australian applicants to earn a degree, compete, travel and live at a US College, often for FREE. In return, scholarship holders must fulfil academic requirements and represent their College to the best of their ability in their chosen sport.

How do I earn a scholarship as a student athlete?

Earning a College Scholarship can come in a number of forms:

An Academic scholarship

An Athletic scholarship

Combination of athletic and academic scholarship

Financial needs-based scholarship

Student athlete scholarships cover all or a percentage of the following costs:

Tuition

Admission fees

Books

Housing

Food

Gym membership

Academic tutoring

Travel within the US as part of the team

Sporting equipment

Sporting apparel

Coaching

Sports injury rehabilitation

Do I have what it takes to be a ‘student athlete’?

Being a student athlete is much more than the hours you put in to your sport. Being a student athlete means that you get to put your College’s name on your back and represent it doing what you love.

The love of your sport and the hard work you put in pays off with the pride and sense of achievement when you start to compete.

As a student athlete you will have many early wake-ups, work hard on and off the field, feel the disappointment of failures – however you will lead an extraordinary life.

Being a student athlete means you are among some of the most athletic peers in your age bracket that are experiencing the same college journey as you.

You get to meet other athletes that are gifted, driven, dedicated, and so much more. You get to create bonds and friendships with people that all start because you share a passion for the same thing as them: being an athlete.

It means that when you graduate you walk across that stage knowing you gave all you could in the classroom and you represented the university playing your sport, and that is a dedication only some will come to know.

Being a student athlete means that younger athletes look up to you in an admirable way and you have the influence to empower them and keep them reaching for their dreams. Only athletes understand what other athletes go through and because of that it creates unification between sports.

When you look back at your time with collegiate athletics you won’t remember the early mornings training and the late nights studying; you will remember the joy, happiness, and pride that was spent doing what you love with people that you love.